ALL
ornament-making
ICH Elements 8
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Naqqoshlik (ornament-making) art
Naqqoshlik is drawing an ornament - a pattern built on rhythmic alternation and a combination of geometric or graphic elements, performed by means of painting, drawing, sculpture or embroidery. Uzbek national patterns have their own names, going back in history. Traditional Uzbek ornament is found in decorative art embroideries, in wood carvings, in paintings on clay and ceramics, on Uzbek fabrics, on buildings. At the heart of the ornament is a picture of simple things. For example, knives are designed to protect, a flowering garden is a symbol of fertility and agriculture. Each flower carries information: a scarlet poppy - the image of an innocent girl, a tulip - a symbol of purity, a rose - peace and beauty, wildflowers - a young man. Often, a different meaning was embedded in the image of flowers. For example, they believed that they carried healing power and health. The ornament creates a vector image in which a magical meaning is laid, reflecting the course of human life. This is an oriental vector style with geometric patterns. Geometric patterns have abstract forms: - zigzag lines - circles - polyhedra - stars - ornamental motifs - meander - human figures - stylized inscriptions. Ethnic patterns are folklore images, folk motifs in which a creative union of religion and culture is concluded. They carry a semantic and ritual load.
Uzbekistan -
Gyalyong Goenchey: The Bhutanese National Costume
The national dress for men is Gho and Kira for women. Gho is a one-piece outfit pulled up to knee-length and fastened with a belt called kera at the waist, leading to formation of an enormous pouch across the belly. Men’s belt is a striped hand woven textile using plain cotton or wool on a card loom. It has fringes at both the ends. Kira is a rectangular ankle-length robe wrapped around the body, tied at the waist with a wide woven belt, and fastened at the shoulders by a pair of shoulder brooches called koma. A necklace-like chain called the jabtha holds together the pair of koma. Jabtha also makes an attractive ornament. Women’s kera is made of cotton woven on card looms with intricate silk designs of varying colours. Elderly women wear the broad kera in three folds. The female kera has also fringes at both the ends. The weft thread used is commonly thicker than the base fabric used. Women also wear a toego (short, loose jacket) over the kira. Toego can be made from any kind of material and be in any colour. Women also wear a garment called wonju under the kira. Commonly made from silk or polyester, the wonju is a loose, wrap-over long-sleeved blouse. The semi-nomadic herders of the high valleys of Merak, Sakten and Laya and some other ethnic communities do not traditionally wear the gho and kira. They have a unique dress, lifestyle and language, and their own weaving specialty. In an effort to preserve and promote cultural heritage, all Bhutanese are required to wear the national dress in government offices, schools and on formal occasions. Necklace: Traditionally, a necklace is also a part of the costume of a Bhutanese woman, and a woman who is not wearing a necklace is considered to be incompletely attired. Therefore, women make it a point to wear necklaces, especially during celebrative occasions. When a woman is dressing, she puts on her necklace at the very end, to complete the outfit. Necklaces of precious stones are passed down from mother to daughter. A traditional Bhutanese necklace consists of a string of beads of various stones such as coral, turquoise, onyx, pearl, agate, and many more. The necklace may reach almost to the waist. If the woman is very rich and possesses many precious stones, she will choose to wear more than one necklace at a time. Since public gatherings and celebrative occasions provide formal platforms for display of wealth and/or position in society, women make it a point to wear as much as they possess. Sword For hundreds of years Bhutan suffered from territorial invasion as well as internal strife and civil war, challenges which were countered by our pazaps (militia), and senior officials. In earlier times, those who performed well in battle were awarded a sword in recognition of their show of courage, valour and success. Once the monarchy was established those officials who served the king and the country with utmost dedication and patriotic zeal were awarded pata (sword) and red scarf (bura marp) in recognition of their selfless service. Awarding kabney along with pata is, therefore, the sole prerogative of the monarch. The awardee is then addressed as a ‘Drasho’, which literally means ‘the best’ as they are exemplary people. Therefore, this award symbolises secular responsibility — the preparedness to fight any enemy harming the interest of the Tsa-wa-sum (the king, the country, and the people) and to safeguard the country and its cultural traditions. Kabney When Gautama Buddha administered vinaya rules at the first sermon, the five chief disciples first wore kabney as a mark of respect to the Buddha. Later, when Guru Rinpoche (Guru Padsambhava) visited Bumthang in the 8th century and sowed the seeds of faith in the dharma, he instructed people not to take the lives of others, and gave ge-nyen vows (vow of lay devotee). He instructed his devotees to wear rezen or kabney as a sign of their having become followers of Buddhism or taking precepts. While dharma practitioners wore red coloured kabney as a mark of following the dharma teachings, ordinary people wore white coloured kabney as a mark of safeguarding the country — their secular duty. Today, we wear kabney as a part of our national dress in accordance with the code of driglam namzha. The smaller scarf worn by women is called rachu. Kabney is a large, fringed scarf (about 90 by 300 cm), which is worn with one half placed over the left shoulder and the other half drawn across the back, below the right arm and across the body, then caught in a loop made by folding the lower part of the left end over it and then throwing the left end over the left shoulder. When the kabney is correctly placed, the right side should loop down at equal level to the hem of the gho, and the two sides should come together at the left breast. There is considerable variation in how the kabney is actually worn, but what is written here describes how it should be worn. Bhutanese at all social levels wear kabney as a part of formal wear along with the national dress, gho. Wearing kabney marks respect for sacred objects and higher authorities, and symbolises the position or rank of officers serving in the government. Scarves worn by women in place of the male kabney are called rachu. These much smaller, colourful, decoratively woven scarves can be worn draped over both shoulders with the two fringed edges falling from the chest, or can be folded in half and placed over the left shoulder with the fringes falling from the chest. Women in general wear rachu by making a fold in the centre and placing the rachu over the left shoulder. Besides kabney and rachu, there are other variants used by religious practitioners. Those worn by lams and monks are called zen or rezen and the one worn over their rezen is called choe-gho. The rezen is worn all the time over the robe but the choe-gho is worn only during special religious occasions. Similarly, the one worn by ngagpas (tantric practitioners) is called ber or dagam; and the one used by togdenpas (adepts) is called rey or rekar and khamar. Kabney and rachu are worn to pay respect to sublime masters or leaders, and to sacred objects enshrined in the dzongs, monasteries and temples. They are also worn as a symbol of official position. The colour of the kabney determines the official rank of the bearer. Traditional Boot Bhutan’s traditional footwear is a kind of boot worn as high as the knee, the upper, cloth part of which is then held and tied by a narrow strap below the knee. Dra-lham, thru-lham karchung and tshoglham are three different types of traditional footwear and form an important part of Bhutanese national costume. Dra-lham are worn by the senior monks in the monasteries. They are similar to tshoglham but red in colour. Thru-lham karchung derives its name from the white colour of the ben (section just above the ankle) which is highly visible from a distance. The traditional boot worn by the general public is called tshoglham. The thil or sole of the boot used to be made from hard leather, but these days tshoglham usually have rubber soles. Above the sole, two layers of red and white leather (or rubber) make the drilden. Above the drilden is the ri karchu, on which comes the ben in different colours. The ben, is yellow, orange, red, blue or green according to the official position of the wearer. Yellow ben is reserved only for the king and the head abbot (the Je Khenpo); orange is for ministers, red is for senior officials, blue is for members of parliament (both houses) and green is for the general public. The cloth part above the ben is generally black or blue silk brocade. It is mandatory to wear thru-lham or tshoglham as a part of formal national dress during any formal occasions.
Bhutan -
Traditional knowledge related to the technique of needle grass mats
Needle grass (called chiy in Kyrgyz) is used for traditional handicrafts. Needle grass grows in all regions of Kyrgyzstan. Needle grass is harvested when it is ripe between 15 of August and 15 of September. If harvested too early, needle grass become fragile, if harvested too late, it becomes too stiff at the bottom. Needle grass is harvested with roots because the bottom part is the most durable and looks like a knot that prevents chiy from falling apart. Making such mats requires mastery and patience because a craftswoman needs to wrap every stem of thatch with different woolen thread. The threads must make a pattern at the end. This makes needle grass mat making especially challenging. •\tWhen harvested, needle grass is cleared of leafs and outer layer and then dried on a sun. Depending on a size of a future mat, needle grass is cut accordingly. •\tMats can be prepared manually or by using a special machine. Self-made weaving machine consist of two vertical poles with a hanger at the top. One perpendicular pole is put on top of those hangers. •\tThe perpendicular pole has notches to hang threads. Then, weaving threads are wrapped around two equally heavy stones. •\tStones are hang in such a way that they are located on a different side in relation to a perpendicular pole. •\tNeedle grass stems are a placed in such a way that top of one stem lies next to the bottom of another stem. A craftswomen takes stones and moves them back and forth in such a way that threads wrap each stem creating a pattern. •\tWhen weaving is done, the fluffy edges of needle grass are cut even. The bottom part of the mat is not cut. The edges of mats are strengthened by a zigzag weaving. There are needle grass mats both with and without ornament.
Kyrgyzstan -
Kiyiz basu - the tradition of making felt
'Kiyiz' is a valuable felt material used by nomads in everyday life since immemorial time. Felt is manufactured from sheep, camel or goat wool by felting. Felt is made from wool using various methods to compress the wool fibers to form a thick, durable and warm material. Felt processing and products remains as one of the most popular crafts in the decorative art of the Kazakhstan steppes and other Central Asian countries. It was the major craft in Kazakh nomadic life as well as a significant work of women. Felt in Kazakhstan used mainly for flooring as a carpet well as covering a yurt. Nowadays one can get also a Kazakh felt souvenir toy. Warm slippers, vests, scarves and much more. Kazakhs used two basic types of felt, which differ in their method of manufacture and function. Kazakhs used coarse felt to cover the yurt and the dirt floor inside. Felt often decorated ornament. There are different methods of ornamentation: applique, ornamental stitch and many others. Skilled workers typically cover the entire surface of the felt track patterns, using a contrasting color. Kiiz is a simple felt carpet made of white, brown or grey wool, used as a foundation for making other products or to cover various parts of the yurt. Syrmak is a floor carpet, made by designing on a basis (kiiz) ornamental aptterns cut out of think multicolor felt which are then adjusted to the basis and sewed with color lace along the contour of the pattern, Tekemet is the Kazakh felt carpet with inserted color pattern on the top of each other before rolling. Different tribes in Kazakhstan each have their designs. Tuzkiiz ia a wall carpet, made by sewing ornamental compositions on felt or solid color fabric like velvet or silk, and then sewing them to the felt basis.
Kazakhstan -
Manggeonjang (Horsehair Headband Making)
National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea Men wore manggeon (horsehair headband) to keep their hair tidy before putting on gat (traditional hat). Manggeonjang refers to the skill of making manggeon, or to an artisan with such a skill. Manggeon is composed of dang (top fastening band), pyeonja (bottom fastening band), the net-like part covering the forehead, and the part covering the back of the head. Gwanja (ring-shaped button) and pungjam (hairband ornament) were used to indicate the person’s social status or for adornment. Human hair was also used to make manggeon.
South Korea -
Muk Khmok Robam (Dance lacquer Mask)
"Lacquer" is a material composed of resin from (Kreol Tree), the last resin, water resin, and ash palm leave. That is why we sometimes hear the composition called "Mareak lacquer". Lacquer has been used since ancient times, as there are sculptures and inscriptions describing the use of this lacquer. For example, temple inscriptions. Kork Poti (K, 814), the inscription in Kampong Thom (K. 444), and the inscription of Prasat Chi Kreng (K. 168). Apart from being used for painting luxury and auspicious objects such as “Tork” wooden or golden plate used for holding valuable objects, “Tang Rong” wedding boxes, betel nut and leave boxes, and other everyday items, lacquers are also used to decorate crowns and masks for royal ballet and Lakhon Khol. That is why to this day, although the decoration on the mask of the dance is not made of lacquer, it is still called "mask lacquer". In general, the lacquer masks that are produced often have a giant mask, monkey masks, Ey sei masks, Ream masks, Preah Leak masks, or other animal masks, all of which are used in classical and Khol dance. According to the traditional method, in order to get the mask for the dancer, the clay is first kneaded into the desired shape, then applied glue on paper one layer at a time until another layer is thick enough. Next, left it to dry before removing the sample. However, this type of lacquer can only be used once or twice because the clay mold is easily damaged. After 1960, Mr. On Sok, a professor of "Khmok-Smach" at the School of Fine Arts, came up with the idea of making a mold from cement that can be used for a longer period than the one made of clay. When the mask sample is dried, you need to start gluing paper on it, but before gluing you need to soak the mask with water first to make it easier to peel off. Then use a piece of parchment paper to cover the mask and crumble another paper to glue on it with 10 layers but if the mask is small, it will be glued only 6 layers. The glue known as (Bay Marn is made by cooking rice flour with water). Let the mask dry before peeling, gluing, and sewing. When the mask is completely dried, start drawing ornament details of the mask such as Kbang, crown, ears or called (Jhon Trojeak) all of which are made by the lacquer. To make it you will need to boil Mareak resin, last resin, water resin and ash palm leave together then pour it into Kbach mold and let it cool before using it to glue on the mask. Then apply a layer of tan paint before applying gold foil on the lacquer. In the past, the molds were carved on marble, but later wax was added and cemented instead. The next step is to paint the mask according to the characters and then use a small brush to cut the strands into eyebrows, mustache, ears, and neck. Lastly, holes are pierced in the eyes and nostrils for the performer to see and breathe. Nowadays, traditional mask lacquer making is very rare as raw materials are becoming more and more difficult to find, and lacquer masks are sold at high prices, making it difficult for artists to buy and use them. Therefore, most of the dances that artists wear today are paper ornaments instead of lacquer.
Cambodia -
Aghash Oyu – wood carving
Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). In forest-rich Eastern and Northern Kazakhstan, hardwood trees are used for carving, including red birch, maple, black or red alder, ash, nut tree, and oak. In Southern Kazakhstan, trees like elm, nut tree, pear, acacia, elaeagnus (djygyda), plane tree (chinara) are used for carving. As well, tree roots and knots are used. In South-East of Kazakhstan, elm, apple, nut tree, and buckthorn are usually used by woodcarvers. Table and chair legs, and some yurt parts are usually carved from pine, aspen or poplar. Other hardwood used for carving includes mulberry tree, and in softwood, juniper. Every wood carved product is decorated with ornament. Pattern and design of wood carved objects are also based on the balance of foreground and background, vertical symmetry, importance of central piece and border pattern. Traditional woodcarving includes several techniques and cuts, such as contour, relief and three-sided hollow carving. Relief carving is used for decorating chests, cabinets, doors, beds and kitchenware. Painted relief carving is used for decorating yurt doors and buildings of worship. Three-sided hollow craving is used for making geometric patterns. Cutout is mostly used for floral ornaments. To make dishes water resistant, they are soaked with boiled animal fat. Carved objects can be combined with paintings. Usually the background is unpainted, while the foreground is painted red, blue, green and yellow. Objects can also be decorated with inlaid bones, silver and other metals. Metallic details can be decorated with precious and semi-precious stones.
Kazakhstan -
Naqqashlik (ornament-making) art
Naqqashlik, or the traditional art of ornament-making, is a highly refined form of decorative craftsmanship in Uzbekistan, rooted in centuries of Islamic and Central Asian artistic traditions. This craft involves the creation of intricate patterns and motifs that adorn architecture, furniture, wooden columns, doors, ceilings, and ceremonial objects. Naqqashlik is not only a visual art but also a spiritual and philosophical expression. It features floral, geometric, and calligraphic motifs, all governed by strict aesthetic principles and symbolic meanings. The craft plays an essential role in architectural preservation, cultural identity, and national aesthetics. Master artisans, known as naqqosh, follow meticulous processes including drawing, carving, painting, and gold leafing. Designs are traditionally developed using natural pigments and hand tools, with every pattern reflecting a balance between beauty and harmony.
Uzbekistan